1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method and composition for sizing cellulosic fibers or cellulosic fiber-containing material and cellulosic fiber-containing substrates sized thereby.
2. Prior Art
Numerous compositions and methods have been suggested heretofore for sizing paper, i.e., rendering the paper more resistant to penetration by liquids. Materials such as resins, various hydrocarbon and natural waxes, starches, glues, casein, asphalt emulsions, synthetic resins and cellulose derivatives have been employed as sizing agents. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,084,093; 3,084,092; 2,995,483; 2,964,445; 2,941,919, 2,903,391; 2,872,315; 2,830,916; 2,764,483; 2,684,300, etc.
Typically, such derivatives are added directly to the paper making stock as "beater additives" and precipitated on the paper as it is formed to yield "internal" or "engine" sizing. Alternatively, the paper sheet may be passed, after formation, through a size solution, or over a roll wetted with the size solution to produce "tub-sized" or "surface-sized" paper sheets.
Reagents which react with the cellulose content of paper through a functional group have also been utilized as sizing agents. For such procedures to be successful, however, it is necessary that the reagent have hydrophobic characteristics, i.e., resist the penetration of aqueous liquids into cellulosic fiber containing materials with which it is reacted. For example, in copending application Ser. No. 629,516, filed July 10, 1984, there is disclosed a method for sizing cellulosic fiber containing materials with certain long chain alkyl substituted sulfonates which react with the cellulose. The long chain alkyl group imparts a sufficient degree of hydrophobicity to the reagent to enable its use as a sizing agent.
Attempts have been made to react cellulose fibers with epoxides with varying degrees of success.
British Pat. No. 892,361 discloses that latexes of certain epoxidized polymers of conjugated dienes are useful as paper sizing agents.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,278,561 and 3,391,018 relate to the use of certain hydrophobic diglycidylamines as paper sizing reagents.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,459,715 and 3,562,102 disclose the use of mixed glycidyl esters of various compounds as sizing agents for paper.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,143 relates to the use of epoxy silicones to impart water penetration resistance to paper.
Berni et al (Textile Research Journal, pp. 576-286, August, 1960) disclose the utilization of fluorocarbon epoxides to react with cellulose containing materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,291,679 discloses that reaction products of polymeric olefin-maleic imide-amines and epihalohydrin are useful paper sizing agents.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,700,489 and 4,299,654 relate to the use of epoxide-amide-polyimides as paper sizing agents.
The starting materials for the preparation of these epoxy group containing reagents are relatively expensive, however, and the degree of hydrophobicity imparted to paper thereby is not sufficient for many purposes.
Inexpensive long chain alkyl epoxides are attractive candidates as potential sizing agents for cellulosic fiber containing materials; however, previous attempts to achieve reaction between such epoxides and cellulose have been largely unsuccessful. Thus, McKelvey et al [Textile Chemist and Colorist, Vol. 4, pp. 35-38 (1972)] disclose that 1,2-olefin epoxides react with cellulose but that reactivity with cotton cellulose vanishes where the epoxide contains a chain longer than 5 or 6 carbon atoms. Soignet et al [J. of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 11, pp. 1155-72 (1967)] indicate that attempts to react C.sub.11 -C.sub.14 epoxides with cotton cellulose were unsuccessful.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a composition and method for sizing cellulosic fiber containing materials with hydrophobic, long chain alkyl epoxides.
Other aspects, objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a consideration of the accompanying disclosure and the appended claims.